Gary Lineker to leave BBC Match of the Day (Non-WHU)

[DusseldorfHammer]

Brilliant presenter. Trod the line perfectly to me. Will be one of those that people only realise how good he was until he's no longer there.

Yes. Has done a brilliant job to keep that flagship of English football on TV on such a high level. Bringing it over from the era of terrestrial tv into click era; and it's still relevant.

Big shoes to fill, on a level of mixing footballing knowledge with humour, while being super mainstream as well.

[sendô]

Alex Scott is an excellent presenter.

Unfortunately, no she isn't.

She was an excellent pundit when she first started. In fact she was a real breath of fresh air, blowing away the cobwebs that had formed on the dinosaurs sat next to her, a pundit that actually had something worth saying rather than the usual bland cliches, and also one that had clearly done her homework and knew the ins and outs of the rest of the teams in the league, and not just the big 6.

Sadly, she was quickly promoted and thrust into every presenting position the BBC could find, and a gem of a pundit was lost, replaced with a wooden presenter that wears what looks like a painful forced smile all to much, and seems incapable of saying anything without waving her pen around.

Anyway, it doesn't matter too much. The MOTD format is about as dated as Football Focus these days, and I've already long since stopped watching one of them. MOTD has bigger issues than just whether Scott gets the gig.

[LincolnshireHammer]

MOTD has bigger issues than just whether Scott gets the gig.

Go on...

[Macca1973]

Go on...

Most people have watched all the goals and highlights on YouTube or elsewhere hours before it comes on.

[Marky]

Cundy or O’hara. To be fair I only watch it when West Ham win so bearly seen it this season

[sendô]

Go on...

It's a programme for a past age. By the time 10:30 Saturday night rolls around, most people have seen all the goals/highlights, either live via legitimate/illegitimate means, or else via Youtube.

All MOTD really offers over and above these sorts of outlets is tactical analysis and commentary, but even then it's woefully poor at doing that, with most pundits just resorting to the usual tired soundbites (Shearer - "it's just not good enough").

[DublinDave]

I stopped watching MOTD when Covid hit.
Even when we were doing well we were still just a 2 minute clip at the end, (unless we were playing one of the big boys & all they'd talk about & show was them).
Shearer bores me to tears, even Wrighty began to grate.
Tried watching a few times since but just fast forwarded through everything, watched our highlights, (they'd miss most), & turn off before the waffle. Extended highlights on YouTube far better imo.
Maybe I'm just getting old.

Lineker is an excellent host though. Seriously big shoes to fill for whoever gets the gig.

[Patsy Belgium]

Money for old rope for jugs and his cronies
You could just put all the goals and highlights on the programme no need for the waffle.
As said most have seen it all hours before the poxy show starts anyway.

[Gazmundo]

Although I appreciated some of his tweets calling out a few Tory ministers I'm quite indifferent towards him. I am impressed with how he's managed to wangle so much £bunse from the BBC for doing so little work.

MOTD is a pre-recorded show and so he doesn't have the pressure of live TV week in week out like his equivalents on Sky or TNT. He anchors a few international games during the Euros or WC but IMO gets paid astronomical sums for a relatively easy gig. He was one of the first British celebrities to embrace Twitter/X and so has a huge following on there.

Some call him a national treasure which I think is a real stretch. He'll definitely pop up again on a rival channel on another bumper contract but good luck to him.

[Dieter Eckstein]

The main problem with MoTD for me is that they send a commentator to every game, so they can choose which ones to put on first, and you end up having to trawl through extended highlights and punditry of every game. I preferred it when there were two featured games, regardless of how rubbish they ended up being, with time from proper detailed analysis, then Gerald Sinstadt rounded up the rest. Now you've got the pundits pretending they've been able to simultaneously watch six or seven games and giving some predictable, surface level analysis. MoTD2 is often much more watchable.

[Jedi Al Khalaas]

I woud love James Richardson to host it with a slight format change to suit his style.

Failing that I am ok with Gabby Logan as a like for like replacement .

[Gazmundo]

Personally I'd like to see Andy Irving's mum Hazel given the gig.

[kenthammer]

Aluko and Barton

[Junco Partner]

It's a programme for a past age. By the time 10:30 Saturday night rolls around, most people have seen all the goals/highlights, either live via legitimate/illegitimate means, or else via Youtube.

Or have nodded off with a half-drunk glass of red by their side

Remember it used to be perfect timing, few pints after the match, takeaway curry or pizza ordered, settle in with a few cans and see all the goals and incidents of the day. Now with games scattered all through the weekend and saturation coverage on a million different platforms it just isn't the same.

Going well back there was a time I used to postpone going out for the night until I'd seen the main highlights, or West Ham's goals at least

Now I'm fighting the feeling to just turn in and get a decent nights sleep rather than wait for the 3 minute West Ham clip at the end and Shearer & Richards peddling whatever orthodox opinion is de-rigueur...'be careful what you wish for' ' they got rid of Moyes as they wanted entertainment' (smug grin).

Lineker is the one decent broadcaster amongst them, a normally flawless presenter with decent knowledge and good line in humour. Particularly adept at the live broadcasts at the World Cup etc when he keeps the pundits on track in a tight timeframe. We will miss him when he's gone, but I think MOTD is done, it's only nostalgia keeps me occasionally tuning in now.

[fjthegrey]

I honestly can't believe people still watch it.

[Patsy Belgium]

Grayson Perry,Izzard and Claire Balding the front runners 7/1 bar.

[johnnyb]

Tbh I would like to see the day when all TV 'presenters' and 'pundits' (how I hate that word) are binned off. They all really grate on me one way or another. Just show the 'entertainment' on offer. I'll then have my own views on whether it was good or bad. Same with Radio, just play the music. I don't want the likes of Vernon bloody Kay in my ears. Yes I know all that won't happen and I can always switch off but these people are so plentiful these days It's difficult to avoid them.

[Hummer_I_mean_Hammer]

I honestly can't believe people still watch it.

X2.. agree with what lots has already been said. Might be different if I followed another team, but no point staying up just for the highlights that are shown for whu.

[The Old Man of Storr]

Watch When We're Winning

I Only Watch When We're Winning.....

[Doc H Ball]

Grayson Perry.

I know you jest and he doesn't like football, but Grayson Perry would be a fabulous choice. Top bloke in real life.